Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Gu Mingli froze instantly, turning his head to stare blankly at Xiao Ye.

Is this a secret he can hear?

Isn't that too private and secretive?

Xiao Ye raised his head again, gazing at the distant starry sky, making no attempt to avoid talking about the past.

His tone was as calm as if he were telling the story of a complete stranger.

"My good father was only thinking about how to find the secret treasure left behind by the Great Qi royal family back then."

"He somehow got wind of it and finally found the personal maid of the Great Qi Princess."

"They were there when the country and city fell, and they escaped the palace with the eldest princess. They must know where the eldest princess went and where the secret treasure is."

"That palace maid was already married and had a daughter who was 16 years old at the time."

"So, the emperor used his influence to marry the palace maid's daughter into the palace and showered her with favor."

"He even disregarded the objections of his ministers and promised her immense wealth and honor, including the title of empress and the establishment of an heir."

Xiao Ye's lips curled into a mocking smile, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.

"All of this wasn't because of love at all. It was just to get the whereabouts of that elusive treasure out of her."

Gu Mingli felt a chill run down his spine and, mustering his courage, asked curiously:

"When the late emperor established the Dayong dynasty, shouldn't he already have a wife and children? How can he just appoint an empress so easily?"

Xiao Ye shook his head, his eyes full of mockery.

"Do you know that after the fall of the Great Qi Dynasty, the world suffered more than ten years of war and famine, with corpses littering the land?"

"In the past ten years or so, all of Father Emperor's wives and concubines in his former fiefdoms have disappeared in the flames of war."

"Even those old acquaintances who managed to follow the imperial family to the palace eventually died mysteriously in this cannibalistic harem."

"The Great Yong Dynasty was established. After my father officially ascended the throne, all the new concubines he took in were sent by the major clans and aristocratic families of the land."

"The princes born to the imperial harem were representatives of various powerful clans vying for power."

"Only the palace maid's daughter became the empress; she didn't have any noble family background."

"My father, relying solely on a flimsy clue, pushed her into the eye of the storm and made her the target of everyone's criticism."

Xiao Ye sighed heavily, picked up the rough wine cup, and took another big gulp.

"The Empress gave birth to me the following year, but because she did not provide any useful clues, the prince was not formally designated as the heir apparent."

"Sadly, my mother didn't actually know any clues at all."

"To protect her, her mother would reveal bits and pieces of information that seemed useful but were actually impossible to find."

"My father used both soft and hard tactics for several years, until my maternal grandmother died outside the palace, and he still couldn't get any news about it."

At this point, Xiao Ye's voice suddenly softened, becoming so soft it seemed to be carried away by the night breeze.

"Then, one day, my mother suddenly died in Kunning Palace."

"The official explanation from the palace was that it was a sudden illness."

Xiao Ye gave a dry laugh.

"A sudden illness... in the prime of life, without any illness or pain, suddenly falling seriously ill. Who would believe that?"

These few short sentences contain the despair of countless women in the deep palace and the cold-bloodedness of emperors.

Gu Mingli's heart tightened upon hearing this, and his hand gripping the wine bowl involuntarily tightened.

Xiao Ye picked up the large, rough porcelain bowl, tilted his long neck back, and gulped down most of the bowl of wine in one go.

The pungent liquor made his eyes slightly red, and his voice was filled with melancholy.

"I was only seven years old when my mother passed away. And Xiao Jue... was only four years old."

"We don't understand anything."

All I know is that my mother is gone.

"The people in the palace changed their attitude towards me overnight."

"From being respectful to being indifferent."

"There were even eunuchs who dared to take our things right to our faces."

Gu Mingli tilted his head back and finished the wine in his bowl, then put the bowl down and took a deep breath while gazing at the starry sky.

Xiao Ye turned his head and looked at him.

"I understood then."

"In this palace, nobody cares who you are."

"They only care whether you're useful or not."

"If it works, you're the god."

"You're useless, you're not even as good as a dog."

Gu Mingli's throat tightened, and his voice became somewhat hoarse.

"And...what happened next?"

Xiao Ye curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

"later?"

"Later, I learned to be patient and to conceal my true intentions."

"I've learned to laugh when I should laugh and cry when I should cry."

"I've learned to read people's expressions and observe their words."

"I learned how to save my life on the edge of a knife."

He spoke calmly, his eyes as still as a deep well.

These old scars seem to have healed long ago, and they don't hurt when shown to others now.

"Later, the emperor's sons began to vie for the throne."

"My brothers are all ruthless."

"Some colluded with foreign officials, some obeyed powerful clans, and some were even foolish enough to poison and assassinate in the palace."

"The ridiculous thing is that none of them managed to sit on that dragon throne."

"Because of them, most of them died in the power struggles within the harems of powerful clans."

"Including my father."

Xiao Ye stopped there.

He looked up at the stars in the sky.

"The reason why I and the fourth prince have survived until now is not because we are so powerful."

"It's because I've always pretended to be a weak and useless person. And I arranged for the fourth prince to be sent to the border military camp early on."

"We pretended until everyone felt we posed no threat."

"By the time they realized what was happening, I had already sat on the dragon throne."

After listening, Gu Mingli was speechless for a long time.

It turns out that Xiao Ye's cunning and ruthless methods were not innate at all!

How many bloody lives did this seemingly glorious emperor have to tread on, and how many dangers and grievances did he have to endure that are unimaginable to ordinary people to get to where he is today?

Through countless anxious and fearful nights, we persevered step by step until the dawn broke.

If they hadn't been so lucky, and if they hadn't had such unwavering resolve, these two brothers would probably have turned to ashes long ago in the deep palace.

Gu Mingli silently picked up the wine pot and refilled the empty bowls of the two men with wine.

He picked up his wine bowl, looked at Xiao Ye with clear eyes, and took the initiative to clink his wine bowl with Xiao Ye's.

"It's not easy, really."

Xiao Ye chuckled as he looked at his serious expression.

"What? You pity me?"

"It's not sympathy."

Gu Mingli met his gaze intently.

"It's admiration."

"If someone else were in your situation, their bones would have rotted away long ago."

"You have endured and survived until now, and you have the ambition to fight against those powerful clans and restore a prosperous world."

"This truly demonstrates both high intelligence and emotional intelligence; I admire them from the bottom of my heart!"

Xiao Ye was stunned for a moment.

Although I didn't quite understand what "IQ" and "EQ" were specifically.

But he understood the pure approval in Gu Mingli's words.

Then he laughed heartily.

Looking up at the dazzling starry sky tonight, a long-lost light returned to those unfathomable eyes.

"Mingli, you understand me. In this world, to have one true friend is enough."

Seeing his reaction, Gu Mingli's mind immediately cleared.

The two men exchanged a knowing smile, their unspoken understanding unspoken. They raised their rough porcelain wine bowls, clinked them together, and downed them in one gulp.

As a result, just as the spicy liquor flowed down his throat into his stomach, a pink system panel suddenly popped up in front of Gu Mingli's eyes!

[Ding! Hidden crisis detected! Xiao Ye's life is in danger. Triggering the third quest in the "Companions in the Mortal World" series!]

[Mission Requirements: Please refer to the classic destiny plot and immediately form a contract with Xiao Ye to save his life!]

[Task Reward: After completing the binding, you can ask Xiao Ye for a get-out-of-jail-free card!]

Gu Mingli: "???"

Holy crap!! Who wants to kill Xiao Ye?!

And that mission... what exactly is a contractual relationship?!